When competing in archery tournaments, there are a multitude of things to consider that will play into your shooting. There are many involved variables which include the motivation you use in your shooting, you’re physiology, mind set, your training styles, etc. As archery has developed over the years, the factors that play into an archer’s shooting have increased. The mental state of the shooter has become an increasingly important factor in this sport.

If you carefully examine the variables that effect one’s shooting, it is apparent that some variables can compensate for others. Some however, are lone variables in and of themselves. For example, strengthening your mind-set will make up for any kind of physiological problems such as shaking. It’s good to understand the principles of archery, such as text book theories and such as well as talking to fellow archers about methods, but simple shooting training can take the place of any inferior knowledge of the previous.

No matter how in-shape you are, it is very important to remember that no matter what your fitness level, it can never compensate for true blue technique. If you have problems with depth-perception, it will not be made up for by any other type of acceleration in any other aspect.

Another important thing to remember is that you should always keep trying to excel in your weak spots and constantly try to keep up the things that you excel in. Don’t be one of those archers that attempts to make up for the things they can’t do well by just trying to improve your strengths.

To find out which things are your strengths and which things you may need to improve, there is a list of factors (mentioned above), that you can go through and analyze yourself based on each individual factor. Key variables in determining your strengths and weaknesses are your mind-set (mental/emotional), your physiology, depth perception, strength, stamina, and your training knowledge. Also you will want to take in to consideration the factors in both field and 3D shooting.

The whole concept of the list that you go through is to see what things you need improving on and simultaneously acting as a checklist. While some archers may find this exercise uncomfortable, it is a necessary step to identifying what you need improving on. If you never examine which things you need work in, you will never move forward in the sport and thus never become more than a novice.

When doing this self-evaluation, it’s important to get an objective eye from a fellow archer for purposes of comparing and contrasting. After you have written down everything as well as the other person, compare/contract the answers and see which ones ring true to you. It’s important to be truthful with what you need work on and what you are already capable of doing.

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Bows and arrows have a long and storied career that goes back possibly as far as 750,000 years. During that time, the bow has undergone an evolution, which we will explore in this text.

Despite his mightiest efforts, even the strongest cavemen could only throw a spear as far as his strength would allow. As colonies of people grew, so did the demand for food. Better technologies needed to be developed.

Strings were incorporated to add force to the spear, which later became what we know as an arrow.

This equipment, however, has several limiting factors including;

1. The length of the string determines the strength behind the arrow.

2. The string also determines the length of the bow. This is because the bow needs to be long enough for the string to be properly stretched during the resting position.

This all means that if you wanted to shoot a bow very far, you would need a very, very big bow. It could even be taller than you!

This type of bow, called a longbow, has fundamental restrictions that simply don’t allow it to fulfill the needs of many archers today.

Enter, the recurve bow.

Some very clever and inventive archer wanted to get rid of his monstrous longbow, while still being able to shoot long distances with great force.

He figured out that by curving the edges of the bow back, away from the archer, he would have a much better bow. The recurve of the edges allows the use of the longer strings needed for long distance shooting, without the need for a longer bow.

The result is a smaller bow which is easier to carry and manage, yes which also packs the same firing power as it’s larger counterparts.

In many archery competitions, the recurve bow is the only type of bow that a participant is allowed to wield. This is even true in the Olympics, where no other bows are allowed.

Archery competitions are great, but the original purpose of the bow and arrow was to kill things. The transition to recurve bows affords hunters many benefits. Not only can you target game which is much farther away, but the extra room you have by using a smaller bow allows you to prepare for the shot much more easily. This will give you more accurate shots and a greater likelihood of hitting the target.

If you would like to learn more about recurve archery bows, please visit our website for more recurve archery information.

The recurve bow has been around for centuries, and still remains a popular choice for archers even to this day. This is true for both target archery and hunting.

Many archers prefer a more traditional recurve bow over the modern compound bow, and for a number of reasons. A common feeling among archers is that a recurve bow allows you to more easily connect with the essence of archery, rather than getting caught up in the technology. It also gives you more direct control over the shot, and is often more difficult without the guiding hand of hi-tech assistance.

Choose Hand Preference

When selecting your recurve bow, the first thing you will need to do is determine your hand preference.

For most people this should be a fairly obvious and simple step. Right handed archers will often use the traditional right handed shooting method of holding the bow in the left hand, and drawing back the bowstring with the right. Using this hold will also mean that you will be aiming with your right eye.

Naturally, the complete reverse is true for the traditional left handed shooting technique. You would hold the bow in the right hand, while drawing back with the left and aiming with the corresponding eye.

While these two techniques will work fine for most archers, some people are cross-dominant. This means that their dominant eye is opposite their dominant hand.

When faced with the dilemma of how to go about shooting when all of the dominants do not match up, it is common for the archer to hold the bow whichever way feels more comfortable in the hands, and make a slight alteration to their aiming technique.

When aiming you will want to close your dominant eye.

For example, a cross dominant person who holds the bow right handed, yet who’s dominant eye is the left will want to learn to close his left eye when he aims, and only use the right. If they were both kept often, he may find his dominant eye will influence the aim, and he will be shooting slightly to the right.

Choose Your Draw Length

Next, you will need to determine a proper and suitable draw length.

Draw Length is simply the distance from where your arrow is knocked on the string at full draw, to the front of the bow. The correct draw length for you can be determined by a simple formula.

Measure (or have a friend measure) your arm span from the fingertips of one hand to the fingertips of the other hand. Just stand naturally with your arms out to your sides. Don’t stretch your arms out as far as you can, or you may end up with a incorrect draw length.

If you are unable to perform the measurement, you can simply use your height instead. It won’t be as accurate, but most people have an arm span approximately equal to their height.

Once you have this measurement, simply divide it by 2.5 to determine your draw length. The end result will be in the same unit of measurement you used to measure the arm span.

Just to give you some frame of reference, a typical 6′ man will have a draw length between 28 and 29 inches.

Choose Your Draw Weight

The final step in choosing your recurve bow is to find a draw weight which suits your body type and shooting style.

The draw weight of a bow is simply how much force it will take to pull the bowstring back to your full draw length.

You will want a weight that you can draw back the full length and hold for at least 10 seconds. If it feels like you could hold the bowstring drawn back for significantly longer than that, you may want to consider moving to a higher weight.

An adult male should have a draw weight between 25 and 50 pounds for recreational or target shooting, and even higher for hunting.

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